Book of Common Prayer
Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign
A Psalm (A)of Solomon.
72 Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
2 (B)He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
3 (C)The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
4 (D)He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will [a]break in pieces the oppressor.
5 [b]They shall fear You
(E)As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
6 (F)He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
7 In His days the righteous shall flourish,
(G)And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
8 (H)He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 (I)Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
(J)And His enemies will lick the dust.
10 (K)The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
11 (L)Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
12 For He (M)will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And (N)precious shall be their blood in His sight.
15 And He shall live;
And the gold of (O)Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.
16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,
On the top of the mountains;
Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
(P)And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 (Q)His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And (R)men shall be blessed in Him;
(S)All nations shall call Him blessed.
18 (T)Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
(U)Who only does wondrous things!
19 And (V)blessed be His glorious name forever!
(W)And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
י YOD
73 (A)Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74 (B)Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,
Because I have hoped in Your word.
75 I know, O Lord, (C)that Your judgments are [a]right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
76 Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to Your word to Your servant.
77 Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;
For Your law is my delight.
78 Let the proud (D)be ashamed,
For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood;
But I will meditate on Your precepts.
79 Let those who fear You turn to me,
Those who know Your testimonies.
80 Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes,
That I may not be ashamed.
כ KAPH
81 (E)My soul faints for Your salvation,
But I hope in Your word.
82 My eyes fail from searching Your word,
Saying, “When will You comfort me?”
83 For (F)I have become like a wineskin in smoke,
Yet I do not forget Your statutes.
84 (G)How many are the days of Your servant?
(H)When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
85 (I)The proud have dug pits for me,
Which is not according to Your law.
86 All Your commandments are faithful;
They persecute me (J)wrongfully;
Help me!
87 They almost made an end of me on earth,
But I did not forsake Your precepts.
88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
ל LAMED
89 (K)Forever, O Lord,
Your word [b]is settled in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it [c]abides.
91 They continue this day according to (L)Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.
92 Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.
94 I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will [d]consider Your testimonies.
96 (M)I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
A Call to Repentance
6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what (A)backsliding Israel has done? She has (B)gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. 7 (C)And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous (D)sister Judah saw it. 8 Then I saw that (E)for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had (F)put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; (G)yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she (H)defiled the land and committed adultery with (I)stones and trees. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me (J)with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord.
11 Then the Lord said to me, (K)“Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward (L)the north, and say:
‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you.
For I am (M)merciful,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not remain angry forever.
13 (N)Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have (O)scattered your [a]charms
To (P)alien deities (Q)under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.
14 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; (R)“for I am married to you. I will take you, (S)one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to (T)Zion. 15 And I will give you (U)shepherds according to My heart, who will (V)feed you with knowledge and understanding.
16 “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and (W)increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ (X)It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.
17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, (Y)to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they (Z)follow[b] the dictates of their evil hearts.
18 “In those days (AA)the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of (AB)the north to (AC)the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things (A)which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, [a]sexual immorality, wickedness, [b]covetousness, [c]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 [d]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, [e]unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, (B)knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things (C)are deserving of death, not only do the same but also (D)approve of those who practice them.
God’s Righteous Judgment
2 Therefore you are (E)inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, (F)for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise (G)the riches of His goodness, (H)forbearance, and (I)longsuffering, (J)not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your [f]impenitent heart (K)you are [g]treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who (L)“will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and (M)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew (N)first and also of the [h]Greek; 10 (O)but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For (P)there is no partiality with God.
A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda
5 After (A)this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus (B)went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem (C)by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, [a]Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, [b]paralyzed, [c]waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, (D)“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
And (E)that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; (F)it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”
11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”
12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was (G)healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. (H)Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Honor the Father and the Son
16 For this reason the Jews (I)persecuted Jesus, [d]and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, (J)“My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
18 Therefore the Jews (K)sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, (L)making Himself equal with God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.